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Troilus Revar
Pandese knight, 618-699. Though his name is unknown to the general public outside of the Pandese Empire, it can be argued that he is the most renowned knight in Bandagora. The "Red Knight", who appears in childrens' tales and plays as a sort of deus ex machina, the mysterious knight who appears suddenly and saves the day by killing the monster or villain, is definitely based on him. Born into one of the Imperial families, Troilus was trained to lead men from when he was very young. When he also showed great personal combat prowess, his family tentatively groomed him as a potential emperor. He never got to fight in the arena, for the Iluvar invaded Dacria in 631. Instead, in 633 (at the tender age of 15), he was made kaerl ungar and given the command of a hundred men. Though the Iluvar shredded the Pandese forces in the general picture, Troilus did well for himself and his men. In the aftermath of the war, in which the Empire effectively surrendered most af Dacria to the Iluvar, the new emperor Aurelian I hoped for help from the west (as had happened before around 50, when other nations had helped the theocracy of Dacria in the name of the Great Treaty). Emperor Aurelian promoted Troilus to Red Dragon in 635, giving him a distinct diplomatic mission, that of gathering support for a military action against the Iluvar, and if this campaign would mean invading Ontaine, even better. Once Red Dragon, Troilus began a long journey, questing his way around the Inner Sea. Most of these adventures are described in the Pendragon Chronicles, and though they were written down many years later, and so are diluted by age, they are thought to be fairly accurate, if somewhat leaning towards the modest. Among them are a voyage through the underground Feldenkrak in the company of Fay Targamon. Otherwise these are numerous small quests. Seeing himself as the ambassador of the Pandese Empire and the Pendragon Order, he would announce himself upon entering a new town, and take it upon himself to perform any task he thought relevant and just. Though his final objective was fleeting at best, he did win the Penboynian court to his cause. In 637 the Penboyian King suggested to the other nations that they could join his crusade against the Iluvar. Now the sad truth was that the Penboynian army was in tatters, and leading such a campaign would bestow the king some long-wanted prestige. Any hopes of accomplishing his mission were dashed when the Iluvar crossed the Brossis and attacked Tulana in 638, eventually conquering it. Realising this, the new emperor, Karamon, recalled Troilus from his mission around 642. Troilus did not return, he invoked his Pendragon Knight's prerogative to pursue a worthy quest. He would fight the Iluvar, be it in Dacria or in Suadan, whereever he could do the most. So for the next 20 years, he more or less continued his original twofold mission, being a knight errant in the countryside and a diplomat at the court. He spent time in the court of Iktemar I and the Salaqi king. Finally, he joined a band of Salaqi knights in the army that attacked Ghorghis' forces at Tulada in 661. Engaging vastly superior numbers, the Salaqi fought valiantly. However, none equalled Troilus in combat. So, one by one, the Salaqi were cut down. And as Troilus bested the last of the immediate enemies, he looked around him to see his brothers in arms lying broken before him, some dead, but many incapacitated, unconscious, bleeding. Though their command structure was gone, the Iluvar had won, and Troilus could see another group of scavengers closing in, finishing off the wounded and looting the dead. Then he beseeched Diancecht to heal his friends, swearing in return to never take a man's life. This was no small sacrifice, for not only would he have to resign as Red Dragon, but he would disgrace his family, as he could not hold any office in the Pandese Empire. And so he returned to Hardor, passing the title of Red Dragon to Lacatus Orega. His family accepted his sacrifice, though they deplored the lost potential. Into his fifties, he still spent much of his time roaming the countryside, now a champion of Diancecht. When Belizar I was crowned emperor in 689, Troilus was given the newly invented office, the Master of Ceremony, in charge of accomodating foreign ambassadors and their retainers. This was a recognition of his achievements and would qualify him for the Senate. He never sat in the Senate, for in 698 he was contacted by Fay Targamon (the details are uncertain, but this our best guess), seeking Pandese help against the Ontainian forces threatening Lenhviel. Sharing a common enemy, Emperor Belizar hoped to forge an alliance with Lenhviel. There being no envoys, Belizar decided to go to Lenhviel himself, bringing only a small entourage, the elf-friend Troilus included. Unfortunately, when Belizar and Troilus arrived in Lenhviel in 699, they realized that any talk of an alliance was moot, the war had been fought, and the elves had lost. The elves had evacuated what they could and were now making a last stand, hopelessly outnumbered. Emperor Belizar, perhaps the greatest warrior of his time, fought as best he could in defense of the elves. Troilus, to his death honoring his oath not to take any life, instead subdued or incapacitated his enemies. According to Belizar's memoirs, it was only when Troilus had knocked out so many barbarians as to form a mound so that none could attack him from behind, that the emperor retreated. Eventually they brought Troilus Revar down, killing the greatest knight that ever lived.